The talking machine world (Jan-Dec 1916)

THE TALKING MACHINE WORLD 9 zine, or even mention of the name, brings a picture of your store to the mind's eye of the prospect. ONE of the many interesting features in The Talking Machine World last month was the article by Eldridge R. Johnson, president of the Victor Talking Machine Co., on the standardization of fair prices, which we trust received the most careful reading and consideration by every man in the trade who has any interest in those things which are a constructive force in business to-day. The standardization of prices and the maintenance of those prices, once standardized, have been discussed frequently and at length in these columns, yet the subject is by no means exhausted. This is an age of standardization. The great automobile industry could not have reached the high state of expansion which it enjoys were it not for the fact that every automobile which is being made in this country to-day, no matter what the type or the price, is built along certain fundamental, standardized lines. Each car differs from every other in minor details, yet the engine, the magneto, the gears, the transmission, the real essentials of the car, are all constructed on the same general principle — all based on certain standard and standardized models which have been proven the best, and which, once proven, have been maintained. In the leading industries of the country at the present day, the campaign for standardization is under way. Business men realize its importance and value. Now, if standardization is a good thing, as it would seem reasonably certain from the experience of men in leading industries, why should the same principle not be applied to prices? Why should the manufacturer making a brand of goods of uniform quality, backed with advertising, national or otherwise, which has created a constantly growing demand for the same, not be allowed to set a fair retail value on those goods and insist that they be purveyed to the public at that price — no more, no less? It can be stated, without successful contradiction, that sentiment in this country is overwhelmingly in favor of price standardization and maintenance, yet it has required a tremendous effort on the part of those public-spirited men who are fostering the cause of price maintenance to bring it to the point where it has been crystalized in the form of the Stephens bill, which will come up again before Congress at its next session. This effort has been necessary because of the lack of interest shown by the average business man in those things which are removed ever so little out of his immediate ken. It is because of this laxity of interest shown by the average man in the vitally important economic questions of the day that the efforts of men like Eldridge R. Johnson become all the more conspicuous. Long before the Stephens bill was introduced into Congress, Mr. Johnson was doing his utmost to create an active interest in the theory now represented by this bill. And his efforts were not actuated by a motive of selfishness. The Victor Co. has standardized its prices, and has maintained those prices • successfully ever since the inception of its business. Its thorough organization, and efficient methods, will enable it to continue such standardization and maintenance. The Stephens bill will not enable the Victor Co. to do anything it is not doing to-day, nor will the concern gain a single new customer, or dispose of one additional record, merely because the Stephens bill is enacted into law. Why, then, should men like those at the head of the Victor organization interest themselves in something which will bring them no direct benefit? Simply because they are sufficiently far-sighted, sufficiently broad-minded, to realize that the principle of price standardization, if once generally applied, will make for greater efficiency in business, better methods of production, distribution, and retailing, with a consequent benefit to producer and consumer alike. They have sufficient interest in the nation at large, and in those who, like themselves, compose that nation, to do whatever lies within their power to make economic conditions better, more stable, more genuinely and lastingly prosperous. Therefore, men of the type of Eldridge R. Johnson are interesting themselves in the bigger questions which are entering into our present-day commercial life, and are seeking through their efforts to solve the problems and overcome the difficulties which stand between us and the ultimate goal of prosperity. Every business man has not the power which comes to one at the head of a world-wide organization, yet every man, no matter how humble his station in life, or how small the scale on which his business may be conducted, has a certain power which he can use towards helping solve the economic problems confronting us to-day. And if each business man worthy of the name will but follow the splendid example set by those men who are taking the lead in attempting to solve these problems, there will speedily come into being an era of business life and conditions which will result in greater prosperity and larger achievements than this day and generation has ever known. WE are in receipt of many commendatory letters from talking machine dealers and salesmen throughout the country regarding the various articles which have appeared in The World recently bearing upon the constructive features of talking machines, as evidenced in the department devoted to repairs and the articles elucidating certain problems, which while simple and readily solved by the man who has been in the trade for some time, cause some trouble to the newcomer. The aim, of course, is to enable the salesman and the dealer to possess a broader understanding of the business, to the end that they may have more than a cursory knowledge of the various types of machines and records on the market. RECORDS! ^ Is your record stock complete? ^ Victor dealers have an opportunity to "clean up" on their record business this fall, provided their stocks are in good shape. Pearsall Record Service Will enable you to show substantial gains in your record sales. Our record stock is complete in every department; we are shipping orders the same day they are received, and, in short, we can help you boom record sales. SILAS E. PEARSALL CO., MStvSr»,s. 18 W. 46th St., NEW YORK